


dreams of the waking hours

by enamuko



Series: FE Polyweek 2k17 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 09:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11986902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enamuko/pseuds/enamuko
Summary: Dreams are important. Having people there to support you in your pursuit of those dreams is even more important.





	dreams of the waking hours

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha i'm so woefully behind this time around, the chances of me getting all 7 prompts done on time is 0
> 
> BUT. i did get this one done on time!! so enjoy. <3
> 
> written for fe polyship week; prompt is 'dream'.

_“I’ve always dreamed of seeing all of the people I love smiling without a care in the world. It’s why I took after my mother and became a dancer.”_

_“Really? The only thing I ever dream of is a lot of blood.” Peri giggled in that girlish way of hers and leaned against his side. Laslow leaned against the other._

_“What about you, L—Xander? What’s your dream?”_

_Xander turned to Laslow and looked down into those big grey eyes. When he turned to Peri, she was looking up at him with the same expectant expression, giving him puppy dog eyes and an almost mischievous smile._

_“Well… I suppose my dream is to see a peaceful Nohr.” He stared off into the distance wistfully, absorbed in his own thoughts. He was often consumed by the thought of a peaceful Nohr… and about the hard work and dedication it would take to accomplish such a feat._

_“A peaceful Nohr sounds boring… but if that’s what you want, Xander, I know you’ll be able to do it! No one else could bring peace to Nohr like you could! Right, Laslow?” Peri snuggled in under his arm, but peered expectantly at Laslow._

_“Naturally. And we’ll be there for you as long as it takes to accomplish, right Peri?”_

_“Obviously!”_

_Xander smiled as he looked at each of them, tucked under each of his arms as they were. It almost brought a tear to his eye…_

_“I know. And there’s no one else I’d rather have at my side than the two of you. I love you both.”_

_“X-Xander…!” Laslow immediately turned red and tried to pull away to bury his face in his hands. Xander couldn’t help but chuckle, and Peri joined him._

_“Laslooow! It’s not like that’s the first time you’ve heard that! We tell you we love you all the time!”_

_“Stooop…”_

_“Laslow… never change.”_

* * *

 

 Xander stood on his balcony and looked out over Castle Krakenburg. The light from the lava that heated and powered the city cast everything in a beautiful, gentle orange light. He leaned on the railing to enjoy the brief moment of peace and quiet...

“Xaaaander!”

Aaaand there went the peace and quiet. Oh well… at least it was a pleasant interruption.

He turned to watch Peri as she came bounding into the room. She bounced onto his bed and flopped onto her stomach, kicking her feet before rolling onto her back, though she kept her legs stuck up in the air.

“Yes, Peri? Did you need something?”

“Of course not, silly.” She levered herself into a sitting position and spun around to look at him. Without consistent battle to keep her amused, Peri seemed to be in constant motion. He did like her energy being channelled into something less violent. “I just wanted to see you.”

Xander heard footsteps pounding down the hall, and then the loud _THUMP_ of someone running into his door. They fumbled with the handle before throwing the door open, so hardly it collided with the wall with a _BANG_.

“Peri…!” Laslow stood there, looking quite frazzled. Xander smiled to himself at the sight; when Laslow spotted him, he immediately turned a brilliant shade of red. “X-Xander! I’m so sorry to intrude—and for letting Peri get in here—I tried to stop her…!”

“Be at peace, Laslow.” He raised his hand to gesture for silence, as he so often did at court. “What’s mine is yours; you know you’re always welcome in here. I don’t mind the occasional interruption… and I’m not doing anything at the moment, anyway.”

Laslow seemed to start breathing again after that. He stepped into the room and closed the door much more quietly than he opened it, leaning back against it once inside.

“Yeah, Laslow! Don’t worry so much! You _know_ I wouldn’t bother Xander while he was doing important work!” Peri pouted in Laslow’s general direction. “I just want to spend some time with you, Xander. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not.” He moved towards the bed, closing the doors to the balcony behind him and drawing the curtains; otherwise too much soot and smoke would get in. As he stepped towards Peri, he held his hand out to her; she took it, and where he expected her to be drawn up to him, she was quite adamant about pulling him _down_ onto the bed.

He stumbled as his knees hit the bed. He considered himself a strong man, but Peri was strong as well, and she was certainly trying harder. Not that he was really resisting that much…

Peri pulled a bit harder, and finally he gave in and allowed himself to be pulled onto the bed. He chose to lie down on his side, resting his head in his palm and facing her.

“Laslow, come join us!” Peri pat the bed excitedly as she bounced on the mattress. Xander turned his head so he could see where Laslow was standing by the door.

“Well… it would be rude for me to deny an invitation like that, I suppose.” Ah, there was that confidence that Laslow so often broadcasted, though Xander knew it took quite a conscious effort for him to do so. He moved away from the door and towards the bed, and climbed up on the end, sitting cross-legged on the duvet close to the foot of the bed.

“I think you can get a bit closer than that.” Xander reached over and took Laslow’s wrist in hand, tugging him down the way Peri had tugged _him_ down. Laslow flopped across him—he couldn’t tell if it was more or less graceful than his own fall had been. Not one to be left out, Peri dropped onto the bed, hard enough to bounce all three of them. She quickly snuggled up against Xander, while Laslow lay across him diagonally so his head was tucked into the crook of his neck.

“See? I told you Xander wouldn’t mind if we joined him!” Peri tapped her finger against the end of Laslow’s nose, making him scrunch up his face.

Xander smiled and let his eyes slide shut. He couldn’t imagine a better way to spend what little free time he seemed to have these days…

There was a knock at the door, and Laslow jumped up like someone had electrocuted him. Xander slid an arm around his waist to keep him from falling off as he sat up, and Peri followed, still molding herself to his side.

“Lord Xander? Sorry to bother you, but the treasurer insists she needs to speak with you right away, and the ambassador party from Hoshido has arrived ahead of schedule…”

He sighed and with one arm around Peri’s shoulders and one around Laslow’s waist, gave both of them a small squeeze before detangling himself from them and rising from his bed. He reached for his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders.

“I’ll be there in just a moment,” he called to whoever had come to deliver that message. “Tell the treasurer I’ll meet her in the conference chambers. And make sure the Hoshidan delegation is fed, given rooms, and whatever else is needed for their comfort; I’ll be with them as soon as I’ve finished with the treasurer.”

“Yes, sir.”

Xander listened for the retreating footsteps and sighed deeply. Well, so much for some relaxation time…

“Xander? Are you alright?”

He looked back to Laslow and Peri. The two were sitting on the edge of the bed, with their arms wrapped around each other as they watched his small preparations. Though he moved towards the mirror to make sure he was in presentable condition, he found it hard to look away from them.

“Of course. Simply… hoping these meetings will end quickly.” He peered into the mirror, partially to fix his ruffled hair from their rolling about on the bed, partially so he could keep his eye on them while he did his preparations. “Things are hectic at the moment. I’m sure things will calm down once everything is more… established.”

“You work so hard, Xander… are you sure you’re not pushing yourself _too_ hard?” Laslow frowned at him over his shoulder, practically mirroring Peri’s pouty expression.

“I’ll be fine. Creating a peaceful Nohr… it’s a difficult task. I must work as hard as I can if my dream is to come true.”

There was much work to be done… many repairs to be made to the relationships between his kingdom and those that had been hurt during his father’s rule. Hoshido was of especially great concern. Nohr had conquered them—and it had been a brutal campaign. If his father’s only concern had been food and fertile lands for his people, Xander might have seen some small kernel of merit in the sordid affair… but it hadn’t truly been his father, and though he had fed many high-standing ideas to the people of Nohr to gain their support in the war against Hoshido, the false Garon had wanted for nothing but chaos and destruction. It was a difficult legacy to follow; those that wanted change didn’t trust him, and those that profited from Nohr’s ruthlessness saw him as an obstacle.

“There’s got to be something we can do to help, Xander. Just say the word!” Peri was back to kicking her feet, looking more frustrated than ever. Xander felt for her. He had never approved of Peri’s lust for blood, but she had always been incredibly dedicated and ready to leap into action on his behalf, often at great risk to herself. He knew she must be going mad with idleness, in a Nohr he hoped would have no need for people like her for a great long time to come.

“That’s right. If there’s anything we can do to lighten your burden even a little…” Laslow was rubbing Peri’s arm, trying to soothe her frantic energy. Laslow… he had hinted once that he planned to return to his mysterious homeland after the war. He had made vague reference to family and friends he had left behind, people who he cared for deeply. People who no doubt missed his vibrancy and passion.

He remembered the dreams Peri and Laslow had told him of, clear as day—and with that memory, he often found himself thinking about how they had left their dreams behind, all for the sake of his own. Peri found no pleasure in peaceful times, and Laslow’s heart lay in a distant land. But they had set those dreams aside to help him achieve a peaceful Nohr…

“You do enough for me simply by being here,” he replied, turning to smile at them as he took his crown from his desk and set it on his head. It was a weight, but… one he could bear.

“Aww, Xander! You’re so sweet.” Peri’s smile was bright and brilliant. “We’re always here for you. We’re always going to be here! Right, Laslow?”

“Right, Peri. No matter what.” Laslow’s smile was just as bright, though softer. He locked eyes with him for a moment, and the conversation they had once had about his late retainers passed between them in that instant.

“You want us to come with you? I could beat up anyone who says any bad stuff about you,” Peri suggested, her tone ever innocent in spite of her words. Xander chuckled.

“I think I can manage on my own. But… let’s have dinner together, tonight. It’s been quite some time since we’ve had the chance to do that,” he suggested.

“Sounds great!”

“A marvelous plan. But… not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything… don’t you think you should dine with the visiting Hoshidans? In the spirit of good will and all that?” Ah, Laslow. Ever the voice of reason…

“They’re the ones who’ve arrived early. I’ll find some suitable excuse to give for my absence… it’s the least I can do with our private time being interrupted like this.”

And after the two meetings ahead of him, he was sure he would need their company to help lift the heavy burden from his shoulders… and to remind him why he strived so hard to fulfill his dreams of a peaceful Nohr.


End file.
